The Most Important Post Ever!

All right, mamas, I talked about woven wrap sizes. Perhaps I should have started with this post instead! The most important topic with regards to Babywearing: Safety and Positioning. Above all, you want your baby to be safe!

With any carrier, I don't care whether you choose a soft structured carrier such as an Ergo, a woven wrap such as a Natibaby, an Asian-inspired carrier such as a mei tai, or a ring sling such as Maya Wrap, there are several things you need to make sure of.

1. Your baby should be able to breathe! (Duh, right?) Basically, this means keep an eye on your baby's chin positioning. Never let the baby be in a chin-to-chest position. This can restrict their air flow. Also, don't let your baby's face be covered by fabric. This can sometimes be an issue, especially with woven wraps or ring slings. If baby falls asleep, make sure you can see their face. Always check on your baby frequently while you're wearing. Newborns especially do not have the neck muscle strength required to turn their head if they get it covered with fabric.
2. Make sure you're not doing any activity that causes excessive bouncing or shaking of your baby.
3. As much as you don't want to wake up that sleeping angel when it's time to get in the car, don't ride in the car with your baby in a carrier. Baby should always be properly secured in carseat.
4. Use a carrier/carry that is appropriate for your baby's age and developmental stage. Back carries especially should only be used with infants that are able to hold their heads up independently.
5. Baby's legs should be in a "M" shape. In any carrier, your baby's knees should always be higher than his bum. Think about it. If you pick up a young baby, where do their legs naturally go? They draw their knees up to their chest, creating an "M" shape. Keeping your baby in this position will help with proper hip development. (See pictures below.)

As you can see, in both of these pictures (one in a soft structured carrier, one in a woven wrap) baby's knees are higher than his bum. (My toddler's knee could be a bit higher in the second picture, but this was a quick wrap job.)

Another thing to keep in mind about positioning, keep baby's head close enough to kiss while in a front or hip carry. Nice and high is best, because it's easier to keep an eye on baby's breathing.

Also, ALWAYS KEEP A HAND ON BABY WHEN WRAPPING OR UNWRAPPING! You never know when baby is going to wibble when you're prepared for a wobble, so keeping one hand on baby is just good practice. If you're practicing a new carry or just starting out with wearing your baby, I'd suggest standing over a bed or couch or having someone spot you. If you're really nervous, grab a stuffed animal and use that until you learn where your hands, arms, carrier, etc. are supposed to be.

Basically, use common sense, mamas!